Outdoor Living

Beauty abounds in Kauai

Exclusive resort a nod to island traditions

Tom Weiskopf designed 18-hole golf course with cascading pools.

Photograph by: Dayle Soppet
, Edmonton Journal

Kukui'ula development is named after the 'kukui' (candlenut torches) that once guided fishermen back home to Kauai after a day's catch. Like the island it is built on, Kukui'ula is special: elegant and exclusive, yet earthy and authentic.

Kukui'ula occupies 400 hectares on Kauai's south shore overlooking popular Popui beach and Kukui'ula signature 18-hole golf course. The community is a collection of 1,500 custom ocean view home sites and plantation-style cottages designed with the origins of Hawaii's sugar cane industry in mind.

Recently named by Barron's magazine as one of the top two places to invest in a luxury second home, Kukui'ula is the largest development built on Kauai in 10 years. It is also likely to be the last due to a moratorium on development on the most pristine of Hawaii's eight main islands. Only 10 per cent of the island is accessible by road, with three per cent of it developed and maximum building-height laws of four stories, or the height of a mature palm tree.

"We were very careful in our design of Kukui'ula because we did not want to ruin all the things we loved about Kauai," said Brent Herrington, president of Kukui'ula development of Scottsdale's DMB and Hawaii's Alexander and Baldwin.

The Herringtons now make their full-time residence at Kukui'ula.

"When my wife and I came here 10 years ago, we were overwhelmingly attracted to Kauai and never wanted to leave," Herrington said over coffee on the lanai (patio) of Plantation House clubhouse, overlooking an expansive lawn and the ocean. "It's taken years to develop the concept, look and feel of Kukui'ula. It just had to feel right."

Kukui'ula had to integrate the architectural, cultural and historical influences of Kauai, not just impose a cookie-cutter development with no local connection.

Hawaii is a mosaic of cultures, many of Asian origin who migrated to labour on sugar cane plantations, once the mainstay of Hawaii's industry.

"The influences here are eclectic, from colonial to traditional Asian elements. We wanted to imbue these elements, without creating a mishmash," said Herrington about the building specifications at Kukui'ula.

Contractors must adhere to a strict and comprehensive building guide that maps out everything from the double pitch and extended eaves of roofs - maximizing shade and protection from seasonal rains - to placement of windows circulating cooling trade winds, making air conditioning redundant.

The community's new twobedroom club cottages are also LEED certified, the international standard of green building code.

The Makai cottages offer two or three bedrooms, and range in size from 1,600 to 3,800 square feet.

Every home embodies transparent indoor/outdoor living in Kauai's balmy climate with a lanai (patio that can be screened in) and private outdoor shower.

"Kauaians love to shower outside, and why not? We can," said marketing manager Veronica Lovesy, while conducting a site tour. Cottages also have options for an ohana (guest house) and garage.

The $100-million US clubhouse is the hub of Kukui'ula community. Membership fees of $1,035 per month and include access to the Plantation House restaurant and gathering place, the spa and golf course, community farm, and warmth and accessibility of the staff.

"Everyone who works here has been hand-picked, from the farmers at the food garden to our chef. This is where they want to be," said Lovesy.

Plantation House offers evening cocktails and pupus (canapés) and fine dining using ingredients from the community farm.

Delicious and surprising meals - such as fish and chips so healthy they barely resemble their namesake - are prepared by award-winning chef Ben Takahash.

Members are also free to book a round of golf on the Tom Weiskopf-designed course or indulge in the energizing spa treatments that uniquely utilize water to soothe and heal.

Early buyers at Kukui'ula were drawn from DMB's loyal clientele, based on their performance in other luxury communities in California, Arizona and Utah and the integrity of DMB's debt-free approach.

"Canadians are also showing a lot of interest. Kukui'ula is designed for people who want to be part of a community and a legacy, a place where family and friends scattered across the globe can come together for old-fashioned gatherings, Kauai style," said Herrington.

Thinking of buying?

Kukui'ula prices: $2.2 million to $4 million for cottages complete with detailed interior decorating and furniture. Home sites start at under $1 million

Buyer's tip: Be the first to buy a specially reduced hillside, 14,398-square-foot lot overlooking the golf course and Pacific Ocean for $850,000 US.

Build your home with the savings. Contact: Veronica Lovesy, marketing manager: 1-808-742-0234; email vlovesy@kukuila.com; on the web at kukuila.com

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